Two-game losing skid has Heat in serious mode

Normally, the Miami Heat are a relaxed bunch at this time, even following losses. It's Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade competing in friendly 3-point shooting competitions before leaving the court. It's LeBron James having to make a jumpshot from behind the basketball rack before heading to the showers.

And then there was Friday, a day after the Heat lost by 20 points for a second time to the New York Knicks. The players were quiet on the court. There were no post-practice contests. James, after finishing with media, simply walked off the court.

It's back to business after a two-game losing streak and defensive slippage have the Heat once again under criticism. Their first chance to rebound comes Saturday against the New Orleans Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"Like most NBA locker rooms, when you win, everything is good," Wade said. "When you lose, everything is bad. That's how it works."

Moments as such have frequented the Heat locker room during the past three seasons. Whether it's a five-game losing streak or falling behind in a playoff series, they have always bounced back. The recovery process this time started with a more serious approach.

"Every year, a couple of times in the year, it's like this," Wade said. "That's the way it works. That's the way it should be. If you don't care and you're here laughing, you're in here joking, you're not really expecting to be a championship-caliber team."

Defense is still among the Heat's biggest issues. They rank 22nd in the league in scoring defense, allowing 100.5 points a game. The Knicks were the latest to expose Miami's once proud defensive philosophy.

They became the 10th team to score at least 100 points against the Heat, hitting 18 3-pointers.

"It is a cloud for our team because we're not defending like we know we're capable of defending," James said. "We have some room for improvement. The good thing is we can be great. But right now we're not great."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra remains stunned about the poor defensive play because the team has displayed good habits during practices and film sessions. He pointed out how so much is going smooth in the preparation, but things have sputtered once they take the court.

"I could come up with a lot of excuses or complaints as a head coach but they're not there from that regard," Spoelstra said. "It has to translate to the emotional, physical commitment during the course of the game and that's not the habit that we've built so far."

Wade hinted the Heat's improved offense could be the cause for the struggles. A higher-scoring offense (103.6ppg) has taken some of the focus from being a dominant defensive team.

James added, "It's not like we added 15 new guys. We got a veteran ballclub. We've got guys that have been here that's defended. That's where we hold our staple at. We don't care about our offense. Our offense is overshadowing our defense right now and it's not a good thing."

The Knicks had most of their success at 3-point line, but were also the beneficiary of several defensive breakdowns by the Heat. Spoelstra counted seven uncontested 3-pointers after watching the film and referred to the first half as a "layup drill" for the Knicks.

He said the poor play early allowed New York to gain confidence, a trend that has affected the Heat most of the season.

"That is a major problem," Spoelstra said. "We have an opportunity to correct it right now. If it goes too long, what it becomes is a tendency. If it goes longer than that, it becomes a habit. If it continues by the time you get to the playoffs, that's who you are. That's what we're looking to change right now."